Flora of North America species comparison

The green links below add additional plants to the comparison table. Blue links lead to other Web sites.
enable glossary links

Delphinium purpusii

Delphinium geraniifolium

Kern County larkspur, Purpus' larkspur, rose-color larkspur, rose-flower larkspur

Clark Valley larkspur, Mogollon larkspur
Stems

(30-)50-80(-120) cm;

base reddish or not, nearly glabrous.

60-100 cm;

base reddish, puberulent, midstems pubescent.
Leaves

blade round, 1.5-6 × 2-10 cm, ± puberulent; ultimate lobes 0-5, width 5-30(-50) mm (basal), 5-20(-40) mm (cauline).

blade dark green, at least adaxially, fan-shaped to reniform, 2-5 × 3-7 cm, pubescent, especially abaxially; ultimate lobes 5-15, width 4-15 mm (basal lobes 5-15 mm), apex abruptly tapered, usually mucronate;

veins prominent.
Inflorescences

(8-)12-20(-32)-flowered, ± cylindric;

pedicel ± ascending, (0.5-)1-4(-5) cm, glandular-puberulent;

bracteoles 1-6 mm from flowers, green to magenta, linear, 2-4 mm, glandular-puberulent.

20-90-flowered, dense, cylindric;

pedicel ascending to spreading, 1-2 cm, puberulent;

bracteoles 1-2 mm from flowers, green, linear, 4-6 mm, puberulent.
Flowers

sepals magenta to rose, nearly glabrous, lateral sepals reflexed, 10-16 × 3-7 mm, spurs straight, 30-45° above horizontal, (10-)14-19 mm;

lower petal blades nearly coplanar with claws, exposing stamens, 3-4 mm, clefts 0.5-1.5 mm;

hairs sparse, scattered, white.

sepals dark blue to purple, puberulent, lateral sepals spreading to slightly forward pointing, 10-14 × 3-5 mm, spurs ascending 20-70°, truncate or downcurved apically, 12-15 mm;

lower petal blades slightly elevated, ± exposing stamens, 4-6 mm, clefts 0.5-2 mm;

hairs sparse, local below junction of blade and claw, scattered on margins, white.
Fruits

(11-)18-29 mm, 4-4.5 times longer than wide, glabrous.

13-18 mm, 3-3.5 times longer than wide, puberulent.
Seeds

seed coats with small wavy ridges, cells brick-shaped, cell margins undulate, surfaces smooth.

unwinged;

seed coat cells with margins straight, surfaces ± roughened.
2n

= 16.

= 16.

Delphinium purpusii

Delphinium geraniifolium
Phenology Flowering spring. Flowering summer.
Habitat Talus, cliffs, on and near large boulders Heavy clay soil, dry meadows in coniferous woods
Elevation 300-1300 m (1000-4300 ft) 1800-3400 m (5900-11200 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
CA
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AZ; NM
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Of conservation concern.

Delphinium purpusii is not likely to be confused with any other Delphinium in North America. Hybrids with Delphinium hansenii subsp. kernense are known to occur.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Delphinium geraniifolium is a more pubescent analog of the closely related D. scopulorum, the former occurring in heavier soils at higher elvation.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Source FNA vol. 3. FNA vol. 3.
Parent taxa Ranunculaceae > Delphinium > sect. Diedropetala > subsect. Subscaposa Ranunculaceae > Delphinium > sect. Diedropetala > subsect. Wislizenana
Sibling taxa
D. alabamicum, D. alpestre, D. andersonii, D. andesicola, D. antoninum, D. bakeri, D. barbeyi, D. basalticum, D. bicolor, D. brachycentrum, D. californicum, D. cardinale, D. carolinianum, D. decorum, D. depauperatum, D. distichum, D. elatum, D. exaltatum, D. geraniifolium, D. geyeri, D. glareosum, D. glaucescens, D. glaucum, D. gracilentum, D. gypsophilum, D. hansenii, D. hesperium, D. hutchinsoniae, D. inopinum, D. lineapetalum, D. luteum, D. madrense, D. menziesii, D. multiplex, D. newtonianum, D. novomexicanum, D. nudicaule, D. nuttallianum, D. nuttallii, D. parishii, D. parryi, D. patens, D. polycladon, D. ramosum, D. recurvatum, D. robustum, D. sapellonis, D. scaposum, D. scopulorum, D. stachydeum, D. sutherlandii, D. treleasei, D. tricorne, D. trolliifolium, D. uliginosum, D. umbraculorum, D. variegatum, D. viridescens, D. wootonii, D. xantholeucum
D. alabamicum, D. alpestre, D. andersonii, D. andesicola, D. antoninum, D. bakeri, D. barbeyi, D. basalticum, D. bicolor, D. brachycentrum, D. californicum, D. cardinale, D. carolinianum, D. decorum, D. depauperatum, D. distichum, D. elatum, D. exaltatum, D. geyeri, D. glareosum, D. glaucescens, D. glaucum, D. gracilentum, D. gypsophilum, D. hansenii, D. hesperium, D. hutchinsoniae, D. inopinum, D. lineapetalum, D. luteum, D. madrense, D. menziesii, D. multiplex, D. newtonianum, D. novomexicanum, D. nudicaule, D. nuttallianum, D. nuttallii, D. parishii, D. parryi, D. patens, D. polycladon, D. purpusii, D. ramosum, D. recurvatum, D. robustum, D. sapellonis, D. scaposum, D. scopulorum, D. stachydeum, D. sutherlandii, D. treleasei, D. tricorne, D. trolliifolium, D. uliginosum, D. umbraculorum, D. variegatum, D. viridescens, D. wootonii, D. xantholeucum
Synonyms D. tenuisectum subsp. amplibracteatum
Name authority Brandegee: Bot. Gaz. 27: 444. (1899) Rydberg: Bull. Torrey Bot. Club 26: 583. (1899)
Web links 
Unless otherwise noted, all data comes from the online version of the Flora of North America, who have made most of their content available via a Creative Commons license (CC BY 4.0).



Type/paste one or more Latin names into the boxes above; matching taxa will show up below the box as you type. You can use the up/down arrow keys to move through the list.

(If the plant you're looking for doesn't show up in the auto-complete list, that means it either isn't described in Flora of North America yet, or it's listed under a synonym. And please note that Flora of North America is still missing several plant families, including Fabaceae, Apiaceae, Boraginaceae, and Polemoniaceae.)

Choose a data source: Flora of North America

The species comparison tool is brought to you by:
Northwest Wildflowers